Salutem
by portalshipping
Summary: He wondered why he always sneezed on the train.


**A/N: "the high school girl sitting next to me" is a good song to listen to while reading this. totally joking, but that's still a good song. anyway, i decided to put this up. you guys are very sweet 333 i was real surprised when cry played this and i suddenly had a bunch of reviews. whatever, man. spread the word of a good game. hope this oneshot isn't too bad, haha**

.:.:.

" _Ah-choo!"_

"Bless you."

The man glanced over at the direction of the voice. A girl sat there, a few feet away from him, reading a book. She kept her large eyes on the book, a gentle smile in place. She wore a high school uniform, looking a bit dishevelled from the ride.

"Thanks."

The train jolted a bit, and he tightened his grip on the pole, balancing himself.

It had happened almost every day. One could only wonder how a sneeze can have a schedule. Every day. _Sneeze. Bless you. Thank you._ He involuntarily sighed. Was this going to go on forever?

It was if some sarcastic deity had heard him. The next morning, he sneezed on time. He reflexively listened for the soft 'bless you', but he didn't hear it. Looking to her usual spot, he noticed she was absent. He instantly thought of the worst possible situation. Kidnapped? Murdered? What if she moved? It was the first time she'd been gone. He didn't know why he was so worried. They never even had a proper conversation, yet he felt this strange paternal protectiveness towards her. She wasn't that much younger than him. The man returned to looking out the window.

After a particularly long day of classes, he stretched and stood at the station. The sun was starting to set, and the day's warmth was fading. He rubbed his eyes and looked down at his long, thin fingers. They may look aesthetically pleasing if they weren't so crooked, he mused. The station is fairly quiet, nothing like the rush hour he usually experienced on his way home. He had to stay behind to tutor a friend in the library, so it was an hour after he was usually at the station. It was a startling difference, but not an unwelcoming one. He was too tired to deal with crowds. The sound of the train approaching interrupted his light thoughts.

His body was practically working on auto-pilot, instinctually looking for a place to stand as he entered the train. Tests and projects and mysterious girls taxed his mind all day. He sat down on one of the seats, letting out a sigh. Seemed to get one in response, too. The man lifted his head back up. The girl sat across from him, her head on her shoulder. Her torso slowly rose and fell. She was… sleeping. He exhaled in amusement. Here he was, worrying about her all day. Calm down, dad.

He returned to zoning out, thinking about nothing in particular. His bag reminded him of its presence by an ache in his shoulder. Occasionally, he glanced at the girl. She was kind of drooling. He held back a laugh. Could he go to jail for this? Just as he made a mental decision to not look at her anymore, the speaker system announced the last stop approaching. This made him worry again.

The lanky man quickly switched which side of the car he was sitting on, landing on a seat next to hers. He put his bag on his lap. The movement awoke her, and she groggily sat up and wiped her mouth. Their eyes met.

"U-um," After not talking for so long, his voice cracked awkwardly. The man was not prepared for direct eye contact. She seemed like she was still sleeping, her glazed eyes not registering anything. Nonetheless, she was still—yeah, he was definitely going to jail. "We're close to the last stop." With that, her eyes shot open.

"What?! Oh, gee," She sighed, and took out her phone.

"Did you… miss your stop?" It was as if he could see the blinding lights of prison already.

She inspected him. His gaze averted, cheeks flushed. Stiff with nervousness. Strangely cute. If she wasn't so concerned about how to get home, she would have laughed. "Yeah,"

"Uh, do you have a way back home?" He regretted it the moment he said it. He noted to himself to never go outside again.

The girl was wiping her face and fixing her hair. "I don't."

There were a few moments of silence between them. The stop was coming up quickly. He braced himself to say it. He would soon smell the sweat of the rough criminals in the other cells. They would beat him up, and maybe these terrible thoughts would leave his head. "Then… Would you like to stay with me?" The man stared at his feet, and quickly followed up, "Not that you need to, of course. It's just that you always say 'bless you', and I think I should repay you somehow. And because you're in a pinch. I realise that sounds really inappropriate of me, and compl—"

"Okay."

He looked back up again, into her face. She wore a completely straightforward expression, hinting at a smile. "Okay?" He repeated stupidly. "I mean, you've never met me. I'm a complete stranger."

"Why would a suspicious person be trying to dissuade me from going home with them? Besides, I don't have many other choices. I'd much prefer the company of a sweet boy I met in the train than a gruff guy I met outside a hotel." She said playfully, but he couldn't tell if it was truly a joke. His eyebrows knit in worry. "No, I probably wouldn't have done that." He just exhaled in resignation.

They were exiting the train, nearly alone at the station. The silence between them was choking for the man. Social situations are the worst, especially accompanying cute girl. As he was desperately trying to think of a topic of discussion, she spoke up. "Do you live alone?" She asked hesitantly.

The sudden question made his mind blank. "Oh, no. I live with a friend. He's graduating this year, though. Planning to be a police officer." He understood how that may have sounded. As if he was telling her a police officer lives at his home so that she shouldn't be worried about anything happening. It was true he wanted her to be at ease. Even then, he had no idea what he was thinking, inviting her to stay at his home. He would cringe at this memory, in the future. The man decided to change the topic. "Why weren't you on the train this morning?" He hoped he didn't sound too prying.

She giggled a bit and placed her hair behind her ear. It was truly a charming chain of actions. "I woke up late. I sorta wish there was a cooler excuse, though. Like, I was ghost hunting and my night was very long." The girl noticed him frown a bit, and grinned. "By the way, my name is Kanzaki Shiori. I figure if I'm going to be staying at your house, we should know each other's names."

"Koutarou Suga." There was a chilly breeze that interminably froze his nose. He subconsciously rubbed it in a futile attempt to warm it. They were nearly to his house.

"Nice to meet you. Do you happen to be allergic to cats?"


End file.
